The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
